My Vacation... The Details

Even though I've already posted the pictures, I figured I'd go into some detail about my awesome holiday.
Gotta tell ya... I really had doubts about whether I was doing the right thing by leaving my husband for a week. We've only been away from each other for that long one time and it was kind of a disaster. I was 10 weeks pregnant with Sam and had awful morning sickness, and to top that off, both Elias and I got influenza while we were there and we were SO sick! I vowed then that I'd never do it again, but I'm so glad that I did. It was totally a spur of the moment trip. I was talking to my Mom that morning and mentioned that I really wished I could go with her and she said that I should! My sisters both called me and told me I had to go and so I did... I decided about 10 a.m. to go and Mom picked the boys and I up at 3 p.m.! If you know me, you know this is not typical Beckie behaviour. I am anal about making plans well ahead of time and I am not in any way spontaneous!
The first 2 nights with the boys were kind of tough... Sam had night terrors the first night and the second night, he was up until midnight and then awake every 20 minutes until 4:30 a.m.. I walked down the stairs on Thursday morning and burst into tears as soon as I saw my Mom. Mom and Christi promptly sent me back to bed and watched my kids for me while I got a little bit more rest. I can't tell you how much I appreciated this. Mom was supposed to be helping my Grandma get ready to move that morning and she called Grandma to tell her she'd be late since I'd had such a rough night! So kind of them to help me out. I have a huge problem asking for help with my kids... I feel like they're my responsibility and mine alone, but I really needed their help. Thank you so much!
Christi and I had so much fun the first few days just relaxing on the back deck with our lattes, watching the kids play. I brought 4 books with me and I think I read about 2 pages of one of those books... We just never ran out of things to chat about!
Friday was a funny day... Mike had the day off and Mom finished helping Grandma early in the afternoon, so we decided it would be a great day to head out and see Mom & Dad's new acreage. Everyone was being so indecisive that I decided to take the bull by the horns. I headed out to the backyard where Mike & Dad were working and told them that they needed to come in and get ready to go so we could be back at Christi's for supper. Dad took Mom downstairs to talk about something and came back behaving very strangely. They were saying that we should just go out another day and we told them they were being wacky. Dad kept saying, "Joyce, we have to tell them." and Mom kept saying, "Bob, don't you dare. You can't!" So they headed outside for another talk and by this time, we (meaning Christi, Mike & myself) were getting frustrated and trying to figure out what the heck their problem was. Finally, Dad came in and told us what was up... Sheri was in the city to surprise us! Christi and I were absolutely shocked... Christi could hardly stop herself from crying and I did cry (come on, I'm still me, aren't I?) The sad thing was that Sheri showed up ten minutes after Dad told us... If he'd only been able to stall us a little longer... Too bad, but he had no idea when to expect her and he did what he had to do. Anyway, best surprise ever! I started crying again as soon I saw her... The turkey told me on Tuesday that she was so bummed that she couldn't be there and even then, she was making plans. Sheri kept the secret from everyone but Dad!
After Sheri's arrival, we headed out to see the acreage... This is the most beautiful land I've seen. Mom and Dad, you made a wonderful choice in property! I can see our family having tons of fun there together in the future!
Friday night, Mark and Danielle came for supper and Sheri got to surprise them... Fun reaction... Mark just said, "Shut up!" We stayed up late chatting and playing a game... Which I won, by the way, even though Mark cheated so I would lose a hand;) I really enjoyed talking to Danielle that evening about her new teaching position and her experiences teaching a grade 5/6 split.
My boys loved seeing their uncles... especially Samuel. He followed Mike and Mark around like crazy, cuddling them every chance he got! I'll include a video of Sam talking about 'Mikey' and 'Marky' at the end of the post.
Saturday afternoon, Christi had a birthday party to go to, so Sheri and I headed out to Stony Plain to check out Grandma's new digs. I haven't seen Grandma in 2 years and I was kind of surprised at how different she was... I keep remembering her like she was when I was a kid, but she's getting older. She sure was happy to see us though! I also got to see a few of my Aunts and Uncles from my Mom's side of the family... I haven't seen them in years! My Uncle Dwain saw Eli walk in and he said, "Oh look! Mark is here... Wait, I guess he's a bit older than that now." Funny.
I don't remember ever enjoying just being with my sisters as much as I did this week. I can't think of anything really profound about being together, but it meant the world to me. They were wonderful with my kids, both of them helping to enforce rules and bedtimes, both of them soaking up every minute they could with the boys. While Eli loves his Aunties, he was so busy playing with Madi and Logan that he didn't stop much to cuddle them. Sam was another story. He'd play and play and then he'd stop and need a cuddle from an Auntie. He'd reach out of my arms to go to them all the time! What a wonderful break.
Two heart-stopping moments...
Saturday, Madi came inside and asked us where Eli was. We all thought he was playing in the backyard with the kids and since it's totally fenced in and safe, we assumed he'd be fine. So, we looked through the whole house and out in the yard and didn't find him. I looked at the back gate and my heart sank. If Eli wanted to, he could easily have crawled under the gate to get out. I took off one direction and Christi took off in the other while Sheri stayed with the other kids to look and pray at the house. Both Christi and I talked to neighbours, one of which actually started to look too. Our voices grew more and more frantic as we shouted his name. I started to have visions of him going to the main road and getting hit or of Eli getting picked up by some madman. I just kept praying, "Lord, please, please let me find him. Please let him be OK." over and over and over. Christi met me and said she felt like she needed to search the house and yard again and I headed inside to call the police. By this time he'd been gone at least 10-15 minutes, although it felt like a lifetime. Just as I was walking to the phone, I heard Christi call out that she'd found him hiding in the corner of the yard between the house and the fence. I collapsed in tears. I've never felt so relieved in my life. Praise God he was safe and sound. Turns out that Eli thought he was in trouble because Logan told him he was going to tell on him, so he hid. Turkey.
Second heart-stopping moment came Sunday morning. Sam was playing with the kids in the bonus room and we heard this sickening thud and a cry. Sam had fallen (I didn't see it, but Sheri said it was from the first or second step.) I got to him and quickly checked his neck and I picked him up. He was grey/pale and completely limp. Sam's eyes kept rolling into the back of his head and he kept passing out. I tried to sit him up to wake him up, but he had no muscle tone at all. His eyes were glassy and it looked like he couldn't comprehend what was going on or who I was. Everyone took a turn trying to get him to snap out of it, talking to him, blowing in his face, touching his arms and legs and nothing helped. Finally, after 15 minutes (maybe less, but maybe more) Sheri suggested taking him out in the wind to see if the coolness would snap him back. It worked, although it was still about half an hour before he as ready to walk and play. Sheri told me that Amaris does the same thing after a head trauma. It's a kind of seizure, a post-traumatic seizure to be exact. Scared the crap right out of me. I'm going to take him into the doctor tomorrow just so that it's charted in case it happens again.
So we came home yesterday and totally surprised Trevor. Mom told me yesterday morning that she was thinking about coming home a day early and I decided it'd be fun to not tell Trev and just show up. I talked to him throughout the day, telling him that I'm still not sure when we're coming home, and that it was totally up to Mom. Just as we were pulling up to the house, I called and asked Trev to poke his head out the door to see if my perennials were purple or yellow because Christi wanted to send some plants home with me. He told me he was sure they were purple and I told him I was sure he was wrong. He finally agreed to go look and just as he said that they were indeed purple, I rolled down the window and yelled, "Are you sure honey?" I wish I'd taken a picture of his face... It was priceless! He met me on the lawn and picked me up, hugging me as hard as I can ever remember him hugging me! Best homecoming! The boys were of course thrilled to see Daddy, although Eli said, "Dad, I want to move in with Auntie Christi, but only if you can move in with me too, kay?" Cute.
All in all, this was a wonderful vacation. I feel like it was healthy for me to be away for a while and it was definitely good for our marriage. I missed Trevor, but I felt ok with being apart. I expected to be a crying mess the whole week, and I actually didn't shed a tear over missing him... Just too busy! I'm glad to be home, but I'll do this again... Maybe when Sheri and Jeff are in Canada in July or August... Gotta make the most of opportunities to spend time with family.
Love you girls and I miss you so much already. I wish we could live closer, but I'll take whatever time I can get with you!

Pics from Edmonton

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Little Miss Bleeding Heart

When I was a little girl, I would sit in church on Missions Sunday and watch slides that missionaries brought back from Africa. My Uncle Don and Auntie Jan took their kids, one of whom was my cousin Heidi & my dear friend, to Zaire when I was a little girl. When they came home, my heart was fired up and ready to join the mission field. I looked at the pictures of the tiny babies and the wild animals and I dreamed of doing something just like they had done. I'm not sure what drew me more, the adorable children (with rags on their backs, although I didn't see that) or the unknown and unexplored terrain. Over the years, I forgot what I felt and what I saw and became like so many of us, more concerned with prosperity than with the souls of people who needed Jesus and the health of those going without.
Since then, I've read books and watched movies and I would feel... I would feel responsible; I would feel broken-hearted; I would feel needed, called. I would feel too small to make a difference.
I've always been known as the 'emotional' one. People have faulted me (and also have given me credit) for the way I become passionate about things. I know that many people don't take me too seriously because, being 'emotional,' my passions would wane and I would move onto the next soapbox in my path. I've struggled with this definition of my character. I've always been ashamed at how easily I cry or become angry, but God has been working on me. I am finally becoming aware of the fact that God didn't create me to be 'Little Miss Bleeding Heart.' Maybe God gave me a little taste of what Jesus' heart must look like. Jesus is passionate. Jesus is broken-hearted at the sight of suffering, both physical and spiritual. Remember that God created each of us in His image. To some people He gave wisdom. To some He gave healing hands. To some he gave... you fill in the blank.
In the past week, I've felt bombarded with images of people in need of Christ. I've read 2 books that have opened my eyes to the importance of ministry. The first, 'The Rose Veil' made the Iranian crisis very real to me. I watch the news and see pictures of riots and I feel connected. Here in Canada, we take for granted that the people we vote into office will actually run the country. We don't ever have to think about walking down the street, covering our faces and looking at our feet in fear. We don't have to hide from the government or from the patriarchal society that threatens our every move. We take for granted our right to worship, our right to purchase our necessities. We take for granted our right to be safe. Why is our world this way? Why, on one side of the ocean, can we live our lives the way we please when just over the water, life is so different that we cannot even begin to comprehend it? Why don't we care?
Let's bring this a little closer to home, shall we? I'm reading a second novel now, 'The Street Lawyer.' It speaks openly about the trials and prevalence of homelessness even here, in Medicine Hat. It tells the story of a upper-class, well-educated lawyer. The man lives in a beautiful home with a beautiful wife, making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year not even aware of people going without their basic needs being met. And yet he is unhappy. He comes face to face with homelessness and begins to see stories play themselves out right in front of his eyes. The narrator talks about people starving and freezing to death... HERE on our continent! Why aren't we more outraged by this? Since marrying Trevor, my passion for transient men and women has overwhelmed me at times. We became involved with one man who'd been abused and raised in a very sad situation. He became an alcoholic, just like his father was, and lost his family, just like his father had. He began coming to our church while living in Transitional Housing. The first time I laid eyes on him, I knew Jack had been placed in our path by God Himself. But why? To open my eyes so that I could see beyond my perfect and clean little world? Jack left town and I'll not likely see him again. He may not even be alive now. But I know that Jack had committed his life to God. He was struggling with how to live out his faith and how to beat the demons of alcoholism back when he left, but I claim a Bible verse for him in faith every time he crosses my mind. "For I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper you and to give you a future." That's as true for Jack as it is for each and every one of us who claims Christ as our Saviour.
So what to do now? I feel a tugging on my heart. I want to help, even if I'm only meant to help one person. I don't know what God has planned for me. Maybe He plans for me to volunteer here in the Hat, maybe at a soup kitchen or the food bank. Maybe it's His plan for me to finish my nursing degree, fulfilling my dream, so that I can help medically. Maybe He wants me to stay in Canada, helping to immunize and educate on Native Reserves and on the streets. Maybe He plans for me to travel doing short-term missions work. All I can do is plead with God to show me what my next step is supposed to be.
And that's my tale for tonight. Thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings and if God places it on your heart to pray, please pray for His wisdom and guidance. "Where two or more are gathered..."

Picnic at Echo Dale Park with Nana & Papa!

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Hot Fun In The Summer

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I needed this reminder after my morning this morning!

So, as I said in my last post, parenting has been especially challenging for me in the last 2 days... In fact, today has been a down-right nightmare. Someone on FB posted this video and the second verse hit me pretty hard. I would never dream of leave my family... (O.K., maybe I'd dream about it, but I'd never act on it... LOL) but it did remind me how much I have to be grateful for and how much I really love my children... Really. I do.

Parenting a Two Year Old

I had forgotten how difficult it is to be a mother to a two-year old. I think back on Elias' terrible two's and I remember thinking that no child could be as busy or difficult as he was. What a freaking joke. Sam is a nightmare. A few examples of his rottenness...
-He's ready for potty training, which you'd think is a great thing. He will take off his diaper and poop and pee BESIDE the potty. Not in the potty, beside it. Wonderful that he knows when he has to go. Not so wonderful that he does it in secret, without telling me, and then walks in it, spreading it all over the floor. This has happened every time he's had a bowel movement or a pee in the last 48 hours or so. I'm so tired of it!
-He sneaks into the kitchen to help himself to coffee. This morning, he grabbed the coffee pot and tried to pour himself a cup. I don't know how he managed to not spill the hot coffee on himself, but he sure spilled it everywhere else! GRR!
-He's stubborn and gets angry when I say no... I mean really angry... Hitting me and pinching me.
-He walks up to Elias and hits him for no reason whatsoever.
-He refuses to stay in his own bed... This means that he tries to sneak into MY bed at all hours of the night... No sleep for Momma makes Momma a grouch!
Anyone want to take over parenting for me? Any advice on the potty problem? That's the most irritating at this point... I hate poo.

Weekend with the Muirhead Seniors... not that they're old, but they are the senior members of the family ;)

Trevor's parents and grandparents graced us with their presence over the weekend... It's been a long time since we've seen them and the kids were especially thrilled that they were here. I'll just tell the story through photographs, if you don't mind!

First off, I just wanted to show off this pic of Sam. It's not very often that Sam is still and quiet, so I had to snap a pic to remember this moment by ;)

Saturday morning, we woke up to snow. Let me explain to you my state of mind when I saw the snow. I hadn't slept more than 2 hours for the 2nd night in a row, so I was tired. I had agreed to be a part of a health study for the government of Alberta, so I was fasting for blood work... This means no coffee. I am a self professed coffee-holic. My children know to give me a wide berth until I've polished off at least one cup. So, you can imagine my mood... Not pleasant. And to top it off, I felt like I had to fake it for the sake of the inlaws.Saturday afternoon, we headed up to the leisure center to go swimming. Grandma Helen and Grandpa Gerald sat and watched and snapped a few pics for us.After swimming, we rushed home to finish up dinner. I made pork ribs in the slow cooker and they were amazing! Here's Sam helping himself to a spoonful of sour cream... Gross!Since the boys have had so much trouble with ear infections, Grandma Val decided to blow them dry... Here's Sam and Grandma blowing each other's hair...And some other miscellaneous photos of the kids with their grandparents and great-grandparents. Sam loved trying Great-Grandpa's hat on everyone's heads and Eli stole Great-Grandpa's slippers. They had a blast with everyone!

That Health Study I did was actually kind of interesting for me. They check your blood pressure 6 times and then take an average. They do blood work to check for diabetes and cholesterol and then measure your waist, hips, weight, height and calculate your B.M.I. My blood pressure was very low... Almost too low! My average was 88/54... normal is 120/80! Not surprisingly, my Body Mass Index was on the low side of healthy... 19.5, with healthy being between 18.5 and 24.9. Fascinating for me to get measurements done by a nurse because it shows me how many inches I've been able to lose in the last year! Yay Me! LOL!

God's Healing Old Friendships!

So a couple of weeks ago, an old friend showed up at my door. We'd kind of lost touch right after Sam was born, although there were some extenuating circumstances. Anyway, I've been very lonely lately... Kind of feeling abandoned by women I thought were really close to me actually. I've been praying for friendship for a while now and look how God answered! Kirsty has 3 kids, Judah who is 10 days younger than Eli, Malakai is 4 months older than Sam, and little Emereece, the cutest tiny 10 month old you can imagine. We've gotten together several times in the last few weeks and they came over yesterday for some fun in the sun! So neat that God's answered this prayer in this way! I expected God to put new friends in my path, and He saw fit to heal old friendships instead... Love the way God works! I've also reconnected with another friend... We'll be getting together next week. Tanya's got triplets 2 months younger than Sam, so it should be interesting!
A slideshow for you...

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Dancing Man... Funny video of some guy from Calgary dancing like crazy!

Zoo Pics

Yesterday, a whole bunch of my family headed to the zoo for some animal fun... My sister Christi and her family, my bro Lauren and his kids, my bro Mark and his wife, my 'rents, and my cousin Heidi with her family! It was super fun! No rhinos though Nic... Didn't even see one!

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Side note about the weekend... I am really glad we decided to go. I had great fun reconnecting with my Aunts and my Grandma. I especially loved spending some time with Heidi and her kids. We've got to do it again soon, Heidi... No more waiting a couple of years between visits. Near the end of the day on Saturday, Heidi's son Kirby and Eli decided they were best friends... So sweet!
I was also so happy to see some of my siblings... I feel like we didn't get to chat and hang out enough though, so you'll have to come to the Hat for a visit soon... I think we 'bout broke the bank, so we're not going anywhere for a long while!

A Couple SmileBox's to Check Out....

I'm a little behind in blogging here! I'm going to catch up all in one post, so enjoy!
Last weekend was really warm here. The kids and I spent pretty much the entire day outside. Let me tell you, they slept great that night! Here's a slideshow of our fun with the neighbours!

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This weekend was my family reunion up in Cochrane... I think that town is one of the most beautiful places by the way! I've got a couple slideshow's from this fun!

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I'll do the zoo post later...